“…God
tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and go
to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one
of the mountains I will tell you about.” …When he reached the place that
God told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood
on it. He bound his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But an
angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I
am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do
anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not
withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:1-19

The
painting dramatically illustrates the story of the faith of Abraham with
bold chiaroscuro. Rembrandt’s use of bold light that illuminates the
major players of the scene clearly shows his mastery of light and
shadow. The drama is played out with the emotional and drama of the
positions of the hands. True to the Bible, Isaac is bound and held on
the pile of wood. The Angel Zadkiel (The Angel of Prayer and Charity)
or Metatron (The angel of Thought and Communication) grasps and holds
back the hand of Abraham and startled, he drops his knife. Rembrandt
captures a brief moment and freezes the action with the knife in mid
air. The tension is reflected in the face of Abraham and in the tension
of his hands.

“And they
were both troubled, and fell upon their faces; for they were afraid. And he
said to them, ‘Be not afraid, ye shall have peace… And now give God thanks:
because I ascend to him that sent me… And they rose up and saw him no more.”

-- Tobit 12:16-21

Tobit and his son Tobias in the process of falling on their
faces give thanks for the miracle sight performed on Tobit by the departing
Angel Raphael. Tobit was blinded by a bird and his faithful son traveled
with a ‘companion’ to hunt for the ‘cure.’ The traveling companion who turned
out to be an Angel directed Tobit to retrieve the bile or gall from a fish
caught by the two and apply Tobit’s blind or film covered eye. Tobit is cured of
his blindness.

This etching
dramatically illustrates an emotional and passionate moment as the Angel flies
toward Heaven in a stream of dazzling light. He is already partially
disappeared from view. Below the Angel is a handler with a pack mule and an
opened case filled with gifts which was to be given to Tobias’ traveling
companion (the Angel Raphael). One of the objects to be given lays on the floor
to the left of the casket. The surprised Anna in panic drops her walking stick
just as in Rembrandt’s 1637 artist’s panel painting in the Louvre it is
illustrated in the process of falling. Tobias’ family home is illustrated as
the backdrop to this marvelous event with members of the household form a visual
triangle filling the well composed image just behind the brilliant light and
smoke left by the departing Angel.